The Muráň Limestone Member (Upper Hauterivian) of the Kościeliska Marl Formation, Polish Western Tatra Mts: dinocyst biostratigraphy and microfacies analysis

Dinocyst biostratigraphy adds new important data on the age of the Muráň Limestone Member of the Kościeliska Marl Formation in the Wściekły Żleb gully area, Polish Western Tatra Mts. Its early Late Hauterivian age is based on dinocysts indicative of the Canningia pistica (Capi) Interval Subzone of the Aprobolocysta eilema (Aie) Taxon Range Zone. This allows to correlate sedimentation of the Muráň Limestone Member with the Strážovce event recognized in the West Carpathians. As based on microfacies analysis, limestones of the Muráň Limestone Member (calcilutites and calcarenites developed as litho-bioclastic packstones and grainstones) represent distal parts of calciturbidites, which contain shallow-water bioclasts derived from a carbonate platform. The bioclasts include microproblematicum Pieninia oblonga, so far known from the Barremian to Eocene. Its stratigraphic range is thus extended down to the Late Hauterivian. Dinocyst age data allow to correlate the Muráň Limestone Member of the Western Tatra Mts with a lower part of the Muráň Limestone Formation in the Belanské Tatry Mts.